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by chaoticTransmissions



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Aftercare, Awkwardness, BAMF Darcy Lewis, Baking, Bucky Barnes's Metal Arm, Darcy has a bionic limb kink, Dom/sub, F/M, Feelings Realization, Flirting, Fluff, Light Bondage, Not Canon Compliant, Pining, Praise Kink, Scientist Wrangler Darcy Lewis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-26
Updated: 2018-07-10
Packaged: 2019-05-28 17:54:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15054611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaoticTransmissions/pseuds/chaoticTransmissions
Summary: Darcy Lewis might be in love with Bucky Barnes, but she's determined not to tell anybody. Until she accidentally tells everybody.





	1. A Meet Cute (But With More Explosions)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This timeline/universe is slightly different than canon because I'm lazy. Basically, the accords never happened, the Avengers still live in the tower, and Bucky never killed Tony's dad. Hence, no Civil War. This is also pre Infinity War and contains no spoilers for the events of that movie.

It’s not Darcy’s fault. She keeps telling herself that-- and Jane and Thor and anyone else who will listen. Darcy did not plan on any of this happening, especially not the part where she revealed her crush on James “Call me Bucky” Barnes to the entire tower. But you know what they say about best-laid plans: they aren’t worth shit.

A few years ago, Darcy was all set to graduate (with honors) from Culver University. Her plan was to become a lobbyist, maybe even go into politics one day, and live an altogether average life. Then six measly credits changed everything.

It wasn’t that Darcy regretted taking that fateful internship. Jane was her best friend, and working for the Avengers was basically a dream gig. When Darcy got her first paycheck, she actually swayed on her feet so hard that Pepper insisted she be checked out in medical. That’s right, Darcy’s boss was now Pepper Potts. Pepper fricking Potts, basically the coolest woman alive.

When Tony met Jane last year at a safe house in Omar (a result of a long series of disasters beginning with tentacled aliens climbing out of the Boston harbor that made Cthulu look like a baby dolphin), the billionaire immediately offered Jane a job. Not surprising, considering that Jane was a brilliant scientist and Tony was an overgrown child who looked at brilliant scientists and thought ‘ooh, shiny!’

Jane accepted the job on one condition, that she could bring Darcy with her. Tony accepted (with Shield’s, and more importantly, Pepper’s approval) and that was that.

Originally, Darcy was slated to continue her job as Jane’s assistant and was living in an apartment downtown. But after a week of wrangling not just Jane, but Tony and Bruce and the dozen or so other lab monkies who used the lab on the 36th floor, Pepper upgraded Darcy to ‘Senior Lab Personnel Manager’, or as Darcy liked to refer to herself ‘Lab Mom’.

The title came with a room in the lower levels of the tower’s living space, a higher level security clearance, and a swoon-worthy paycheck. Jane was happy too, of course. Not only did she have state of the art equipment (Darcy still shuddered thinking about the glorified toaster oven that they’d once used as a computer in New Mexico), but Jane also finally got the credit she deserved for her work on the Bifrost. Not to mention being closer to Thor.

For the first month after they jumped on the Tony train, everything was going great for Darcy Lewis and Co. Then Bucky Barnes showed up and it all went to shit.

**One Month Ago**

“Janey!” Darcy chided, shoving an elbow into Jane’s back while simultaneously balancing a steaming hot coffee cup and a stack of folders in either hand. In the last few years, Darcy had mastered the arts of balance and precision. Really, the Black Widow could take notes. Darcy snorted to herself as she elbowed Jane again. Yeah right.

Jane’s head shot up from where it had been resting against the lab table. A piece of paper was stuck to her face, and after Jane swiped it away Darcy swore she saw the impressions of ink pie charts on her friend’s face. “I wasn’t sleeping,” Jane swore, as she swiped the coffee from Darcy’s hand with a grateful smile. Darcy set the folders down beside her.

Darcy rolled her eyes. “Sure thing, boss lady. While you were… getting up close and personal with those spreadsheets, I sorted through the rest of the parts that came in last night.” It was clear from Jane’s blank face that she had no idea what parts Darcy was talking about, despite being the one to ask her to sort through them just yesterday. Jane could be pretty dense for a genius.

“Thanks,” Jane finally settled on, clearly grateful Darcy didn’t point out her obvious confusion. “And you know I’m not technically your boss anymore, right?” Jane had pretty much downed the coffee by now, and her eyes were already straying back to the notes beside her. Keeping Jane’s attention for long amounts of time at work was difficult. Hell, short amounts of time was a stretch.

Despite it only being noon, Jane was pretty much asleep at her desk before Darcy’s gracious coffee gift. No doubt she’d only slept a few hours last night, if at all. Darcy did her best to kick all the scientists out when she left for the day, but she couldn’t help it if they snuck back in after she’d left. Or went home, but didn’t sleep anyway.

“It’s a force of habit,” Darcy chimed, sensing she was about to lose Jane to Science again. “Well, I’m going on my lunch break now.”

“Mhhm,” Jane said reaching for a pen and beginning to underline something with great emphasis.

“Also you’re adopted.”

“Sure thing, Darce.”

“And I’m your dad.” Jane just nodded and kept up her underlining. Across the lab, there was a colossal boom and a few shouts as one of Tony’s new machines catapulted across the room and began to smoke. Jane did not look up.

“I love you, champ. I’m sorry your mother left us,” Darcy tried, already backing towards the door as she surveyed the chaos coming from Tony’s side of the lab. Jane hadn’t even heard her last comment, let alone understood it. Darcy’s best material was wasted on Science Jane.

Through the growing smoke, a lab assistant spotted her and yelled “Ms. Lewis, can you--”

“I’m on lunch break!” Darcy yelled and practically threw herself into the hallway. There, she collided with a brick wall. At least it felt like a brick wall, although the resounding “oof” proved it wasn’t. Two solid hands wrapped around her shoulders, steadying her. A moment later, Darcy looked up. And up. And up.

She was looking at the Winter Solider, and beside him, Captain America. And she had collided into them like they were bowling pins. Oops.

Though Darcy worked mostly in the labs with Tony and Bruce, she wasn’t a complete dunce about what was going on with the rest of the Avengers. She watched the news, like everyone else. Thor occasionally dropped tidbits of information when he came to visit. Plus, Darcy learned about the Howling Commandos way back in 8th grade history class.

She’d been following the return of Bucky Barnes, AKA the Winter Soldier ever since he escaped from Hydra and surfaced in Bucharest. After a Shield agent in the area spotted him, an extraction team comprised of Captain America, the Black Widow and Tony Stark were sent to retrieve him.

A local news station had caught the ensuing fight when the still disoriented Bucky failed to recognize his best friend and attacked. News outlets across the world had then picked up the story. ‘The tragic reunion of two WWII soldiers turned enemies! A hero turned war criminal!’ This sensationalizing-- and subsequent dehumanization-- of The Winter Soldier always made Darcy angry.

Eventually, Bucky was tracked down again, this time by Steve alone. According to Thor, there had been a huge argument among the team about whether Steve going alone was wise. It was, apparently, because Steve had been able to get through to Bucky and bring him in. After that, Shield whisked the Winter Soldier away somewhere top secret to heal from Hydra’s control and ensure that he was no longer a threat.

That was a year ago, and Bucky hadn’t been heard from since. A few months before Darcy arrived at the tower, Steve dropped off the grid too, presumably to be with Bucky. Then, just last week, Tony Stark announced that a healed and pardoned Bucky Barnes was on his way to Avenger’s Tower with Captain America, where he would soon become a member of the initiative. The ensuing media frenzy had been enough to stress out even the unflappable Pepper Potts.

Now, Darcy was seeing them both at the tower for the first time.

Darcy looked to Bucky first, because his hands were still holding her steady and she was gaping at him like an idiot. Darcy practically catapulted out of his grip. “I am so sorry. OhmigodIdidn’tseeyouthere.” Bucky raised one dark eyebrow, probably trying to puzzle out Darcy’s gibberish.

“No problem, Doll. No harm, no foul,” Bucky drawled. He was definitely scruffier than he’d looked in the 30s, at least what Darcy could remember from the textbooks. His once clean-cut hair was grown long, and stubble lined his chin. The look made him even more attractive, if such a thing was even possible. Then there was the metal arm, which glinted in the fluorescence of the hallway. Darcy stared down at the feat of engineering in awe.

Behind Bucky, Steve looked like he was trying not to smile. He was even more gorgeous than he looked on TV. All broad shoulders and white teeth. He really was the perfect American golden boy, and a stark contrast to his best friend’s ruggedness.

“Don’t worry about it, Miss--?” Steve began. Darcy reminded herself to close her mouth before she started drooling.

“Lewis. Darcy Lewis. I work here,” Darcy practically vomited. Her employee badge glinted at her from her sweater set and Darcy resisted the urge to hurl herself out the nearest window. They obviously already knew that.

“Nice to meet you, Darcy Lewis. I’m Steve Rogers, and this is--” Steve began. A grinning Bucky (oh god it made him even cuter), elbowed his friend in the stomach.

“I can introduce myself, punk. I’m Bucky,” Bucky held out his hand to shake her own and Darcy shook it without so much as passing out. It wasn’t that she was scared of him. He might have been a deadly assassin, but that wasn’t his fault and he seemed okay now. No this, was a normal girl-meets-guy-and-girl-is-a-total-horndog scenario.

“Bucky just got here a few days ago, and I’ve been showing him around the tower. We haven’t seen the labs yet,” Steve offered. Darcy was surprised Bucky was okay being in the labs after everything he’d been through, but didn’t comment. Trauma worked in mysterious ways, and wherever Bucky had been these past months, it had clearly helped him.

If Darcy was a better person, she would have offered to show them the labs herself. She did work there, after all. Lunch break be damned. But Bucky was still grinning at her in the swoon-worthy way and Darcy thought she had better get out of there before her heart exploded.

“They’re state of the art. Really great, uh, you’re gonna love them,” Darcy explained, and found herself once again backing towards an exit. This time it was the bank of elevators across the hall. Suddenly, Darcy remembered the shouting and smoke and chaos coming from inside when she left. “Uh, on second thought, it’s a little hectic in there right now. Maybe you guys want to visit again tomorrow?”

Steve and Bucky exchanged looks before Bucky said. “Sure thing, Doll. You work in the labs, right?” Darcy nodded like a puppet on a string. “Maybe you could show us around?”

So this is where the airing her feelings thing maybe started being Darcy’s fault. Maybe. If she’d just said no, then she and Bucky might have never spoken to each other again. Then this whole mess with the email, and Darcy’s feelings, and her weird bionics kink would never have happened.

“Sure thing! How about 2?” Darcy asked. Steve and Bucky nodded, and her fate was sealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I've read so many Darcy x Bucky fanfics that I finally decided to write one. It was a lot of fun, and chapter 2 is coming soon! Just a heads up, the rating might become more explicit in the future (I regret nothing)
> 
> Also, I don't have a beta reader so if you see any grammar mistakes please don't hesitate to tell me. It would help me out a lot!
> 
> Darcy's sweater set, if anyone was wondering: https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/shopping?q=tbn:ANd9GcRwiMezMzF2jXcNcyHdfN4qgdSC-JMb1JyK1lwRW0JJeo21jWNu&usqp=CAY


	2. I Like Your Pineapples

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh! Thank you so much for all the support. I woke up this morning, saw the view count, and basically freaked out.

By the time Darcy returned from her lunch break, (read: questioning her entire existence while she tore a slice of meat lover’s pizza to shreds in the cafeteria), the chaos from earlier had settled down. Jane migrated from the lab table to the lab couch, still scribbling furiously. The shrapnel from the exploding tech was cleaned up off the floor, the smoke vanished into the air ducts. Darcy heard that Hawkeye sometimes climbed around up there, and hoped he didn’t get a face full of soot as a result. 

The only lingering evidence that anything had even happened was the lab tech from earlier, who glared at Darcy when she walked in. Darcy refused to regret bailing on the scene. She’d done her share of messy work as Jane’s assistant, and Thor only knew she had enough on her plate now as Lab Mom. Some skinny dweeb wasn’t going to make her feel bad about not staying to pick up broken glass and soothe Tony’s frazzled ego. 

The rest of the day flew by, an impressive feat given how Darcy’s invite to Star Spangled Dimples and Mr. Piercing Gaze was still looming in the back of her mind. Luckily, there was enough going on in the lab to distract her. Nothing else blew up that day, but the shipment parts from last night (the ones Darcy spent hours cataloging) turned out to be defective.

So Darcy had to arrange for a new shipment and reem the supplier out on the phone, on Bruce and Jane’s behalf. For obvious reasons, Dr. Banner getting angry wasn’t a good idea. And Jane was used to relying on Darcy to take care of all the social interactions for her. Both of them were pretty calm about the situation, actually. 

The only one who wasn’t calm about it was Tony. He was basically the male equivalent of the “can I speak to your manager” lady at Walmart. He stomped around for the rest of the day, complaining about failing American infrastructure and the incompetence of everyone who wasn’t a) Tony Stark, or b) ACDC. Darcy practically had to shove a wrench in her mouth to keep from pointing out that the parts weren’t even for him. 

By the time Darcy got home, she was exhausted and barely had time to worry about if she was going to embarrass herself in front of one of Earth’s mightiest heroes and his ex-assassin best friend. She just stuck some ramen in the microwave and curled up on the couch to watch Cupcake Wars reruns. 

\---------------------------------

“Lewis, can you can-can somewhere else?” Tony asked, as he jabbed a pair of tweezers at a tiny metallic bug on the desk in front of him. The creature made a pathetic whirring noise but did not move, much to Tony’s apparent disappointment. 

“What?” Darcy blurted, releasing her death grip on the clipboard she was holding as she stared intently at the lab doors. It was 2:02 and the freedom posse should be arriving any minute.

Tony rolled his eyes at Darcy in a familiar, affectionate way. “You’ve been standing there, practically vibrating for the past two minutes. It’s interfering with my work.” Darcy, embarrassed, tore her eyes from the door. 

“I am not--”

“You totally are, Lewis. What’s up yours today? There a baking convention in town you want to get to or something?” Tony poked the little bug again and this time it chimed and rolled over onto its back. Tony whooped in delight. Darcy stared at the door again.

“No! I’m just waiting for--” As if on cue, the doors to the lab opened and Bucky Barnes stepped in. Alone. He glanced around the room, looking a bit unsure, before his eyes settled on Darcy and the tension melted out of his face. He was wearing dark jeans and a maroon shirt, and of course he looked as good in casual clothes as he did in a WWII uniform. Darcy gave a little wave. 

Beside Darcy, Tony looked up to follow her gaze. “What’s freezie-pop doing here?” Tony asked, his tone not unkind. He stared at Darcy again. “Is that who you’re waiting for, Lewis?” 

Darcy ignored him. “Gotta go, Tonester. See you later!” 

“How many time have I told you not to call me that? Stupid nicknames are my thing, Lewis. Mine!” Tony called at her retreating back. Darcy waved at him with the clipboard and hurried over to Bucky. 

“Hi again,” Darcy said. “Bucky, right?” Like she didn’t remember. Bucky nodded. “Where’s Steve?” 

“He and Falcon got called out on a job this morning,” Bucky told her, staring at Darcy with an amused look on his face. “He wanted me to apologize for skipping out on you. You don’t mind if it’s just us right?” 

“Of course not!” Darcy reassured, wondering what Bucky found so funny. It must have shown on her face because Bucky smiled even wider. 

“Sorry, Miss Lewis--” 

“Darcy!”

“-- Darcy. It’s just that… are those pineapples?” Darcy stared down at the black dress underneath her blazer. It was indeed spotted with pineapples. Darcy nodded, embarrassed for once at her sense of fashion. Bucky probably thought she dressed like a second grader. 

“And you were wearing cherries on your sweater yesterday,” Bucky said, as he and Darcy ducked out of the way of a lab tech coming through the doors with a cart. At Darcy’s beckoning gesture, Bucky began to follow her through the lab. “I like it. They suit you.” 

“Thanks.” Darcy pointed out a spectrometer on the left and tried not to melt into a puddle at Bucky’s feet. They continued on like this for half an hour; Darcy pointing out various lab contraptions and personnel and Bucky listening intently. He seemed somewhat interested in the science, which wasn’t surprising given how much things had advanced since his time. Darcy did her best to explain things to him.

At last, they passed by Tony, who was luckily too absorbed with his bugs (there was a whole pile of them on the desk now) to interrogate Darcy about her choice in company. Right now, at least. This signaled the end of Darcy’s little tour, and she guided Bucky back to the doors with admitted reluctance. 

After the initial nervousness passed, Darcy found herself enjoying Bucky’s company. He was funny and clearly intelligent, and he seemed relieved that Darcy didn’t run at the sight of him. Plus, he liked her outfit. Darcy was a total goner. 

“I never asked what you did around here,” Bucky inquired, as they approached the steel reinforced lab doors. You never knew what could get in, or out, of these labs. “Are you a scientist?”

“Thor no!” Darcy laughed. Bucky raised a dark eyebrow. “I’m the lab mom, er, personnel manager. I look after the employees here while they do The Science, and make sure they’re fed and rested.” 

“Sounds like a lot of responsibility,” Bucky said. They were at the doors now. “You must not get a lot of time for yourself.”

“I do!” Darcy assured. “I get plenty of me time. I watched an entire season of Chopped just last week.” At Bucky’s blank look, Darcy let out a horrified noise. “You’ve never seen Chopped? That’s tragic.” 

Bucky grinned and propped open the door with his broad shoulder. “Maybe you can watch it with me sometime?” Darcy’s jaw dropped open. Was the Winter Soldier asking to hang out? With her? 

“That would be, yeah I mean, totally. If you’re not busy,” Darcy blurted. “With being an Avenger and all.”

“I’m not officially an Avenger yet, Darcy. Shield is still testing me to make sure I’m--” a troubled looked passed over his face and Darcy’s heart clenched, “--no longer a threat.”

Hoping to distract him from the moment of pain, Darcy blurted, “are you busy Friday?”

To Darcy’s relief, the expression seemed to pass from his face and Bucky smiled again. “Sure. How about seven?” Darcy nodded so hard she almost fell over. 

“Seven is great. My room number is 45C. Can’t miss it. There’s a sign that says 45C.” Darcy was officially an idiot, but Bucky didn’t seem to mind. “See you there, Bucky.”

“See you, doll.”

“So,” said a voice beside Darcy, accompanied by the crunching of potato chips. “That was awkward. Darcy jumped about a foot into the air and whirled on the intruder. 

“Shut up, Tony!” 

\---------------------------------

Bucky didn’t come at seven Friday night. He came at 6:58, and Darcy greeted him by cracking the door open a sliver and practically yanking him inside.

“Sorry about that,” Darcy said, when they were both inside and Darcy was no longer manhandling him. Her right foot, which had been outstretched in an attempt to keep her chubby Siamese cat from bolting out the door, fell back to its normal position. “Merlin’s an escape artist.”

“Merlin?” Bucky asked, then glanced down at the fluffy monstrosity now butting against his heels. He reached down to scratch the little beast under the chin, and Merlin was practically climbing his legs for the attention. “I thought cats weren’t allowed in the tower?”

“They aren’t,” Darcy admitted, sheepishly. “But he’s been my cat for three years. I wasn’t about to give him up just because I work for the Avengers now." Darcy realized she was still cornering Bucky in the door and gestured for him to come in. “You aren’t allergic are you?”

“No,” Bucky reassured, picking up Merlin in his arms so he could get to the couch without stepping on the oversized cat. “I’ve always wanted one, actually. Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.” Darcy actually gulped. Bucky Barnes was a cat lover. Oh, that was dangerous. 

Bucky surrendered Merlin and sat down on the couch. Darcy settled next to him, tugging at her glasses self consciously. She’d whirlwind cleaned her apartment last night, but it was still cluttered with books and knickknacks. There was even a Captain America bobblehead on the TV stand, which was absolutely mortifying. Luckily, Bucky didn’t seem to mind. 

“You have a nice place,” he offered, looking a little unsure of himself. This made Darcy tense in turn. 

“Is everything okay?” Darcy asked, alarmed. Had she done something wrong already? Merlin gave a last plaintive meow before slinking off. 

“Everything is fine, Darcy. It’s just weird for me to be alone with a dame. At her place, nonetheless.” For as modern as he seemed in jeans and a t-shirt, Bucky was still a bit old-fashioned. “I know things are different nowadays, but it’s taking some getting used to.” 

Darcy relaxed and offered him the bowl of microwave popcorn that was sitting on the coffee table. “Really? You had a bit of reputation back in the day. With women I mean.”

“I never said I wasn’t alone with them,” Bucky said with a wink, “but never just to socialize.” Darcy blushed and yanked the popcorn back in revenge. Old fashioned her ass.

“Sorry, Doll,” Bucky chortled. “I couldn’t resist.” He grabbed for the popcorn again with puppy eyes, and like a sucker Darcy let him have the bowl. “What’s this Chopped program, anyway?” 

“Only one of the best cooking shows ever made,” Darcy said, queuing up an episode on Netflix. 

“You like cooking?” Bucky asked, as the signature drumming started up on the TV, followed by a whoosh. The screen faded in on the Chopped logo, and a minute later the iconic kitchen appeared. 

“Yeah,” Darcy said, around a mouthful of popcorn. No one ever accused her of being ladylike, and she wasn’t going to start now just to impress a guy. Even if he was from ye old times. “But baking is my true love. What about you?”

“I love eating,” Bucky confessed, eyes glued to the screen as the challengers were introduced. Darcy nodded sagely. Wise man. “But I’ve never been much of a cook.” Bucky cast a sheepishly charming glance Darcy’s way. “When I was growing up, most men never learned how.” 

At Darcy’s look, Bucky raised his hands in surrender. “Never said it was right, Darcy. It was just how things were. My ma passed before she could teach me much of anything, and I rarely saw my sister, Rebecca.”

Darcy didn’t say sorry for his loss, partly because it was so long ago and partly because she herself hated when people did that. It didn’t make anything better. When her own father died of a heart attack in high school, the well meaning but ultimately meaningless “I’m sorries” only made everything worse.

Instead, Darcy put a hand on Bucky’s metal arm just below his sleeve. It wasn’t warm like skin would be, but it wasn’t cold either. Bucky looked startled that Darcy was touching his prosthetic. People probably avoided it like the plague. Not Darcy. In fact, she’d been itching to touch it since the first time they met. 

‘Now is so not the time’, Darcy scolded herself mentally. Bucky nodded in recognition of her sympathy, and Darcy let her hand drop with reluctance. “When I became the Winter Soldier, I had to learn how to cook more out of necessity than anything. But I never had any particular love or so skill for it,” Bucky continued. 

“Maybe I can show you a recipe or two. If you want.” Darcy felt silly as soon as the words were out of her mouth. He just said he wasn’t into cooking. But to Darcy’s suprise, her offer brought a smile to Bucky’s face. 

“I’d love to, sugar.” From anyone else, the pet name would annoy her. As would “doll”. From Bucky… Darcy shoveled popcorn into her mouth to hide the sound of her heart stammering in her ears. 

“Oh hey!” Darcy exclaimed, once again trying not to spew popcorn all over the floor. “This is the good part!”

\---------------------------------

“What!” Bucky yelled as he and Darcy stared in disbelief at the screen. “They’re giving the win to Jared? After he forgot to put beets in his roux? That was one of the basket ingredients!”

“I know, right!” Darcy exclaimed, watching that slimy creep Jared parade around the set to hug the judges. “And Linda’s caramel crumb cake was clearly so much better than his desert in the last round. She had homemade ice cream! Jared could barely figure out how to use the blowtorch.” They shared a commiserating look at the injustice of it all. 

Yawning, Darcy turned off the TV and checked the clock. It was almost eleven. They’d been watching Chopped and talking for hours. It was kind of cute how into the show Bucky had gotten. “I should get some sleep, Bucky. I have brunch with Janey tomorrow.”

“Jane Foster from the lab, right?” Bucky asked. He stood carefully so as not to disturb the sleeping cat behind his head. Merlin seemed to like Bucky even more than her. Darcy dusted some of his fur off of her pants with a frown. Traitorous feline.

“I’m surprised you remembered that. Our tour was like two days ago. And yeah, she’s my best friend.” Darcy said, following Bucky to the door. 

“Of course, I remember,” Bucky said, turning to face her in the dim glow of the TV. “You’re a fascinating tour guide.” His teeth glinted at her in the darkness. Darcy fiddled with her glasses, glad he couldn’t see how flustered she was. 

“I bet you say that to all the girls,” Darcy mumbled. Was she actually flirting with Bucky Barnes? Bucky’s grin only grew. 

“Just you, doll. I’m holding you to that offer of cooking lessons.” Bucky waggled his finger at Darcy as she opened the door for him. “See you later, Darcy.”

“You got it, Bucky. Goodnight.” When Bucky disappeared down the hallway, Darcy finally shut the door behind him. “I am so screwed,” she moaned. Merlin, noticing his new best friend was gone, woke up and meowed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Darcy's dress: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/33/11/6b/33116b1ed49f8cc40c9e72902e537755.jpg  
> ((For those of you who missed it, her cherry sweater can be found in the end notes of chapter 1))


	3. And Eat it Too

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Baking!Darcy is my favorite headcanon of all time.

“Ms. Lewis, it's not that I’m not flattered you asked…” Steve began, as he stared down at the plate in front of him like it was about to sprout tentacles. “But remind me why I’m tasting this?”

Darcy rolled her eyes at the national icon and all but shoved a fork in his hand. “I told you, Steve, it’s Darcy. How’d you like it if I started calling you Captain?” The way Steve’s nose scrunched up in response was the only answer Darcy needed. “And you’re tasting it because Bucky made it and you're his best friend.” 

“Yeah, punk. So be grateful and eat it already.” If Bucky was hurt by Steve’s refusal to try the food, he didn’t show it. In fact, he seemed to be making an effort not to chortle. Darcy had been teaching Bucky how to make a simple pasta primavera for the better part of the afternoon. He was a good student, despite his obvious lack of culinary skill, and caught on fast. 

Darcy walked Bucky through the process, and demonstrated a few techniques, but other than that, this dish was all his own. That was the part that seemed to scare Steve. Stars and Spangles was unlucky enough to walk through the common area just as Bucky was plating his dish, and Darcy had all but dragged Steve over to the counter to try it. An impressive feat, given that he was a super soldier over six feet and Darcy couldn’t even climb the rope in eighth-grade gym class.

Now the three of them were all gathered in the massive kitchen off of the Avenger’s common area, staring at a plate of pasta like it was a grenade.

This was the first time Darcy had an excuse to be in this kitchen. She might have been able to use it if she brought Thor, but the God of Thunder had a surprisingly short attention span and seeing his droopy, pouting face every time she cracked an egg or looked up from a cake pan would ruin the experience for Darcy. 

So when Bucky approached her in the cafeteria yesterday about finally cashing in the cooking lesson she offered him a few days ago, she practically pounced on him. Walking into the kitchen for the first time, Darcy had made a noise so high pitched that Bucky actually winced. 

Later, when she asked Steve how often the space was actually used, his response of “once a month, maybe” shocked Darcy so much that she nearly passed out. She then spent the next five minutes assuring the Freedom Posse that she didn’t need to go to medical. 

Steve cleared his throat, bringing Darcy out of her kitchen fantasies. Darcy realized she was running her hands over the chrome countertop with an embarrassing amount of tenderness and shoved them into her flamingo covered apron pockets. “Darcy, it’s not that I doubt your teaching skills, but the last time I ate Bucky’s cooking, not even the dogs would clean up the leftovers.” 

Bucky tried to punch Steve but Darcy shooed him away. “Boys, boys play nice!” She felt a little like a suburban mom reffing a soccer game. “Steve, I’m sorry Bucky’s food hasn’t been… optimal in the past, but I promise it will be good this time.” 

Steve looked first at Darcy, and then with heavy skepticism at Bucky, before shoveling a forkful in his mouth. He looked like the soldier he was, bracing for enemy fire. After chewing for a moment, Steve’s tense posture relaxed. He swallowed, smiled, then took another bite. “This isn’t bad, Buck.” 

“Holy shit!” Bucky crowed. “I never thought I'd see the day Stevie would compliment my food.” He turned to Darcy, who was holding her hand up for a high five, and instead gave her a bear hug. Darcy tried not to squeal like a thirteen-year-old girl as his muscled form pressed against her. There was a feeling to store away for later. 

“Glad you like it,” Darcy told Steve, extending a fork to Bucky before snatching a taste of her own. It wasn’t quite the same as Darcy made it, but it was good nonetheless. “The spices could use some work, but this is good food, Bucky.” 

“Thanks, Darcy,” Bucky said, around a mouthful of pasta. Between him and Steve, they were almost through an entire pot’s worth. Those were super soldier appetites for you. “I had a good teacher.” Steve nodded in agreement and Darcy practically beamed. 

There were few things Darcy enjoyed more than taking care of people, and that included feeding them. Okay, so maybe she hadn’t made the food, but she’d helped in the process. 

Darcy didn’t buy all that crap about women being nurturing by nature and needing to have kids to be fulfilled. Jane was a woman, but she was far from motherly. And though he might pretend otherwise, Tony Stark was a total mother hen. Her caretaking wasn’t a woman thing, just a Darcy thing. 

“You know, Darcy,” Steve began, as Darcy realized with astonishment that all the pasta was gone from the plate in less than a minute. “If you want to use this kitchen, I’m sure no one would mind. You’d probably get more use out of it than the team does.”

“I don’t know,” Darcy said, reaching for the plate to clean up. Bucky shooed her hands away and began washing it himself. He did it again when she made an attempt at the pot. “I’ve only been working here for a few months. I’m not even close to an Avenger.”

“Yeah, but you know like half the team,” Bucky chimed in over the woosh of water hitting the bottom of the sink and the clanging of dishes. 

“Only Thor. Annd Tony and Bruce from the labs. And you of course, Steve,” Darcy added. 

Steve laughed. “That’s more than half the team, Ms. Le-Darcy.” He did have a point. Thinking about the possibility of using this slice of heaven on Earth again, Darcy cast longing glances at the double door smart fridge and industrial-sized sink.

“Do you really think it’s okay?” Darcy ventured. Steve smiled warmly at her, apparently a steadfast supporter of Darcy ™ now that she’d redeemed Bucky’s culinary skills. 

“As an Avenger, I’m giving you my express permission to use the kitchen when and how you want,” Steve decreed. There was a loud clatter of ceramic hitting stainless steel as Bucky dropped the dishes he was drying in order to steady Darcy as she swayed on her feet. However she wanted. Whenever she wanted. Darcy Lewis had died and gone to baking heaven.

Of course, another argument ensued about Darcy going to medical, or lying down on the couch for a while. Finally, Darcy was able to bribe the boys into leaving it be with the promise of cherry tarts. 

When Darcy delivered said tarts to them in the training room an hour later, still warm, the two of them seemed more than pleased with the tradeoff. So pleased in fact, that after eating them Steve declared Darcy “the most talented woman I’ve ever met” and Bucky offered her his month’s salary if she’d make him an apple pie. 

Darcy didn’t take Bucky’s salary, but she did make the pie. And lemon squares, and chocolate cake, and trays of baklava and pumpkin muffins. All in Darcy’s new, official happy place. 

After the first batch of cookies Darcy left in the Avenger’s kitchen disappeared in mere hours, she was suddenly inundated with requests from everyone on the team for different treats. Including the Black Widow; a truly terrifying experience in which the redhead appeared in front of Darcy like smoke to ask for banana bread, then vanished just as silently as she came. 

Darcy enjoyed each new request that was made of her, especially after Tony gave her a generous monthly ‘Rachel Ray Fund’ to buy ingredients with. Cooking baked goods for a team of superheroes with massive appetites was no cheap endeavor. But of all her new patrons, Bucky was Darcy’s favorite.

The former assassin swung by Darcy’s place every few days to see if she had any confections on the go. Sometimes they’d watched cooking shows together while Darcy showed Bucky a new recipe. Every time Darcy baked him something, Bucky acted like a kid at Christmas. She even took him grocery shopping with her a few times, even though he could be irritatingly overprotective.

Refusing to sit with his back to the door at lunch was totally understandable, after everything Bucky had gone through. Running background checks on Darcy’s ex-boyfriend after he drunk texted her was not. Darcy was so indignant about that last one that she didn’t talk to Bucky for three days. It had taken the combined weight of both his and Steve’s puppy eyes to win Darcy’s forgiveness. 

Before Darcy knew it, three and a half weeks had passed and Bucky was becoming one of her closest friends. She couldn’t remember ever talking to someone this fast, other than Jane. She and Bucky hung out almost every night now, and Steve had taken to texting her when he couldn’t find Bucky because he assumed Darcy might know. Bucky even let Darcy sit with him on his Bad Days, something no one else but Steve could do.

To be honest, it was freaking Darcy out a little bit. Not because the closeness was unwanted, but because it was. Super, super wanted. So Darcy did what she did best. She panicked. 

\-------------------------

“Jane! Jane!” Darcy yelled as she threw open the door to Jane’s room in the tower. It was even bigger and nicer than Darcy’s, because she shared it with Thor. Like Darcy’s, it was configured to mimic an apartment, with a kitchen and living room, and a separate bedroom and en-suite. 

Normally, barging into Jane’s apartment unannounced was on Darcy’s no-no list, right up there with forgetting her taser at home and using unlined baking pans. Ever since Thor returned to Earth last year, he and Jane went at it like rabbits. The last time Darcy let herself in without calling ahead, she’d been scarred for life. 

Today, though, Darcy knew Thor was away on official Asgardian business. Such travel was possible now, largely thanks to Jane’s work. The tech wasn’t released to the public yet since Thor was still playing guinea pig, but it would be by the end of the year. After which, Jane would no doubt get the Nobel prize she so rightly deserved. 

“Janeyyyy!” Darcy whined spotting her friend on the couch watching some boring documentary about stars. Darcy promptly collapsed across Jane’s lap. 

“What’s wrong, Darcy?” Jane asked in alarm, pausing the TV to run her hands through Darcy’s shock of dark hair. Darcy just groaned. “Talk to me, Darce.”

“Have you noticed anything weird lately? About me, I mean?” Darcy asked into Jane’s thigh, then grimaced when she got a mouth full of denim and sat up. 

“Other than you bursting into my apartment and tackling me, no,” Jane said with a smile. Darcy couldn’t help but laugh. Jane could always cheer her up. 

“I mean about me and Bucky,” Darcy sighed. 

“You have been spending a lot of time with him,” Jane pondered. Darcy groaned again. If even Jane ‘If It’s not Science, I’m not Listening’ Foster noticed their sudden closeness, then it really was bad. “So, what’s the problem, Darcy? I thought you liked him.” 

“Of course I like him,” Darcy said slowly, giving Jane her best ‘are you stupid?’ look. Jane rolled her eyes. 

“Darcy, I thought you _liked_ him,” Jane prompted. 

“Oh,” Darcy said, as the realization hit her like a ton of bricks. 

“Oh,” Jane commiserated, patting Darcy on the head before turning the documentary back on. 

Oh, indeed.


	4. Gmail Does Her Dirty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys appreciate this stupid email because editing it took forever and a half.  
> As always, thank you so much for reading!

“I don’t know why Stark thinks he needs donors, anyways,” Bucky grumbled, chucking Merlin under the chin as the three of them sat cocooned in Darcy’s couch. The cat purred in response and knocked over several empty take out containers as he tried to snuggle closer to Bucky. “He’s already flush with cash.”

Darcy didn’t say anything, mostly because she was staring blankly at the collar of Bucky’s leather jacket. It was less than 24 hours since Darcy’s relevation. So far, her plan to avoid Bucky for a while was going terribly. Mostly because he showed up to her place with Thai food. Was she supposed to say no to that?

So Darcy had a crush on Bucky, so what? That didn’t mean anything had to change between the two of them. Darcy was not about to risk this amazing friendship over feelings Bucky probably didn’t reciprocate.

Darcy could handle being just friends. She could handle watching Bucky meet another girl, and fall in love with her, and have little super soldiers bab-- “Darcy!” The voice snapped Darcy out of her spiral into shittiness. The somewhat alarmed look on Bucky’s face told Darcy it wasn’t the first time he’d called her name. “Are you feelin’ alright?”

“Swell,” Darcy squeaked, as she tried not to blurt the truth out to Bucky right then and there. So maybe giving him up wouldn’t be easy, but Darcy was determined to do it. He was Bucky Barnes, ex- assasian and future Avenger. She was Darcy Lewis, the woman who once waited in line for ten hours to buy a video game. They weren’t meant to be.

“If you say so,” Bucky said, not seeming entirely convinced. As if he knew she’d barely been listening, Bucky gently added, “we were just talking about how Stark doesn’t need donors because he’s loaded, so throwing a party to attract them is ridiculous.”

Oh, right. The Avenger’s Gala, to be held this Saturday night in the tower itself. Apparently, the place had a ballroom, because of course it did. Not that Darcy was paying attention to the date, other than hearing occasional mentions of it’s planning since she started working for the Avengers two months ago.

Darcy was neither an Avenger, an Avenger’s plus one, or rich, so she wasn’t on the guest list. She could ask Tony for an invite, or Pepper, or basically anyone on the team if she really wanted to, but what would be the point. Showing up to a gala without a date wasn’t like flying solo at the club. You can’t slow dance by yourself.

Unlike Darcy, Bucky was all but mandated to go. It was part of an ongoing scheme to change his public image, with the eventual intent to announce his official Avenger status. Darcy figured whoever was behind the plan, probably Pepper, was a genius.

When the select few journalists who would be permitted to attend the event caught a look at Bucky in a suit, they’d have no choice but to be charmed out of their sensationalizing socks.

“The gala, yeah I remember,” Darcy lied, forcing herself to come back down to Earth. “And it’s probably not about money at all. With the way the team tears up the city every few months, getting some of New York’s rich and powerful on your side isn’t a bad idea. The main goal is probably to schoomze.”

Bucky grinned at Darcy in a way that made her heart flutter. “Smart and gorgeous. You never cease to amaze me.” As she smiled back, Darcy found herself wondering how she could be so dense. Why had she not identified her own crush on Bucky ages ago? In hindsight, it was painfully obvious.

“I would think you’d like dances,” Darcy prodded Bucky, reaching over to scoop Merlin into her lap. He meowed and rubbed against her stomach as if to assure Darcy that she was still third place in his heart, after Bucky and belly rubs.

“I do,” Bucky protested, over the sound of Ferris Bueller singing Danke Schoen on the TV. In betweeen cooking shows, Darcy had decided to give Bucky a cultural education, starting with 80s classics.

“This isn’t a real dance. When I was your age--” Darcy groaned at Bucky’s new, favorite tongue-in-cheek phrase “--we used to all get together in a warehouse or a dance hall and dance for hours. You didn’t need some fancy outfit or credentials to get in, and no one stood around and drank champage either.”

“Aren’t you going with Steve? Just hang out with him.” Bucky shook his head. Merlin was now wrapped around his neck doing a pretty solid impression of a fur scarf.

“Can’t. Parker’s bringing some kid as his date, and Steve and Tony are both determined to sepend the night as chaperones.” Peter Parker, hero name Spiderman, ran into Tony Stark when Spiderman’s actions caught the attention of Shield.

Tony tried to recruit the kid for the Avengers, despite his young age, but Peter turned him down. The teen was keeping it local for now, but Darcy had a feeling he’d be a true Avenger one day. In the meantime, Peter occasionally swung (sometimes literally) by the tower to hang out with Steve or grab some of Darcy’s snickerdoodles.

Both Steve and Tony were attatched to the little dork, and it was funny to watch them argue about him crime fighting on school nights like two overprotective dads. Darcy shuddered to think of a date chaperoned by those two.

“Poor Peter,” Darcy said.

“Poor date,” Bucky agreed.

Suddenly, Bucky paused the movie and turned to look at Darcy with somehing akin to nervousness. “Do you have plans this weekend, Darce?” he asked. Darcy shook her head. “Then will you be my date to the gala? It will give me someone to talk to without a silver spoon up their ass.”

Darcy knew immediately that this was a bad idea. She’d just resolved herself to never being more than friends, and now she was agreeing to be his date to a black tie affair? But Bucky was smiling at her so winningly that she couldn’t help herself.

“Sure,” Darcy said, then thought ‘I’m a fucking idiot.’

\------------------------------

In the list of things Jane Foster loves, Science is pretty much the top item. There are a few things that come first, however. Two, actually: Darcy and Thor. In the list of things Jane Foster hates, fashion is pretty much the bottom item. Darcy always figured it was around #4 on the suckage list after evil elves destroying New York and Jeff Bezos’s boiled egg shaped head.

Today, however, fashion was at the very bottom.

“Darcy, this is the fifteenth dress I’ve tried on!” Jane whined through the wall seperating their two dressing rooms. Darcy ignored her in favor of wiggling into her own skintight dress. She’d been listening to this complaining for the better part of an hour. Jane practically had to be sedated and carried into the boutique earlier than morning.

“And none of the other 14 were right, Janey! We have to find the perfect one!” Darcy finally managed to slip the satin over her skin, and looked at herself in the mirror for the first time. Her breath caught in her throat.

From outside her dressing room stall, Jane called “Darcy, what about this one?” Darcy steped outside and the friends surveyed each other. Both smiled. Jane’s dress was navy blue, and drapped in gossammer tulle. It was perfect.

“Oh, Darcy,” Jane sighed, staring at the red dress that hugged every inch of Darcy’s considerable curves. “You look lovely.” And then, “can we leave now?” Darcy was so happy with her selection that she agreed, and didn’t even balk at the price tag. (Okay she did, but only a little). Nor did she worry about going to the gala with Bucky. (Okay, she did, a lot)

Darcy worried about it so much that after the dress was safely stored in her closet, she dragged Helen and Natasha out drinking. Jane had enough human interaction for the day, and disappeared back into the lab rather than go out with them. Which was fine with Darcy. She just wanted to get drunk, fast, before the nerves caught up with her.

Natasha and Helen were good company for this. Helen told Darcy the exact amount of hammered she could be without killing herself, and Natasha drank two times more than Darcy did and was still sober enough to watch all of their backs.

By the end of the night, Darcy wasn’t feeling worried anymore. In fact she felt great. So great. Darcy suggested they go to a club, but Helen called her a cab instead. Darcy complained it was only 10:30 and Natasha asked Darcy to spell her own name.

Darcy couldn't, so she got in the cab.

A very nice door lady held the door open for Darcy at the tower, but a not so nice lady yelled at Darcy when she ran into a group of people carrying in table settings and boxes of merlot. They were for the gala tomorrow night, and Darcy was trying to forget about the gala. Her solution was to make the sign of the cross at the caterers and run into the elevator.

When Darcy finally stumbled back to her room, there were three new notifications on her phone. She assured Natasha and Helen that she made it home okay and ignored the email from Papa John’s. You sign up to win ONE free pizza and suddenly your inbox is flooded with spam.

There was one final email from someone named Happy Hogan. Darcy laughed at his name, then faintly remembered that he was the head of tower security. Darcy opened the email and read it, though she didn’t understand half of the words.

One thing was clear. The email was about the Avenger’s gala. Darcy couldn’t escape the stupid thing. So she decided to stop trying. Darcy hit the forward button, typed a message to Jane, giggling all the way, and hit send.

Then Darcy pulled a pillow over her head and fell asleep on the living room couch.

\------------------------------

“Aurghh,” Darcy moaned into the couch cushion as someone banged on her front door. She took the pillow off her head and threw it at the wood, but the banging continued. “Uhgrth!” Darcy croaked, brushing suspiciously glittery hair out of her face. She was so never getting drunk again.

“Darcy!” Someone was yelling, and Darcy finally realized her unwelcome visitor was Jane. With a sigh, she dragged herself off the couch to answer the door. On the other side, Jane was staring at her, face sheet white. Darcy checked the clock and almost cried when she saw it was only 9 in the morning. Jane was a monster.

“If aliens are invading New York again, tell them to fuck off until after noon,” Darcy ordered, leaning her head against the door jam. She should probably take a couple dozen Tylenol before continuing this conversation.

“What have you done, Darcy?” was all Jane moaned. Darcy rolled her eyes, heading towards the kitchen and leaving the door open for Jane to follow. Jane did, still looking horrified. Darcy began rummaging in the cabinets until she found the pill bottle she was looking for and popped a few in her mouth.

“Look, I already told you the espresso machine was being abused by you and the lab monkeys. I had to take it away before someone died of a caffeine-induced heart attack. But, if there are no more explosions this month, then maybe you can earn it ba--”

“Darcy!” Jane was practically yelling, and now that Darcy thought about it, it was weird to see her friend so animated over something that wasn’t Science. “Don’t you remember what you did last night?”

Darcy started to get a bad feeling, which only got worse when Jane shoved a phone in her face and shouted “look!” Darcy looked.

It was an email to the Avengers and all the tower staff about secruity protocol for the night of the gala. Vaguely, Darcy remembered reading it before she fell asleep last night. What she didn’t remember was her own response to it, apparently meant to be forwarded to Jane.

But it wasn’t forwarded. Instead, Darcy had hit reply all.

Darcy barely made it to the bathroom before she puked her guts out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You should be able to scroll to read the email, but if not, here is it the link: https://image.ibb.co/n5mQ1d/Darcy_Email.png  
> For anyone with vision issues, Darcy's reply reads:
> 
> "if Buckky cant get that metul arm of his through securrity, i have a place he can hide it ;) god the things that arm could do 2 a girl. janey , imagine the thingzz. i hv it soooo bad for him."
> 
> Jane's dress: https://i.pinimg.com/564x/6f/65/f6/6f65f62756556789baa0d85dc82163b1.jpg
> 
> You'll have to wait to see Darcy's ;)


	5. So About That Email

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, Darcy's dress:  
> https://i.pinimg.com/564x/d0/56/40/d05640382ddd99b8fcd84f1c73f617b9.jpg

This first thing Darcy did was pack a suitcase. Okay, so she finished throwing up first and brushed her teeth. Then after that, Darcy took a shower. Then Jane made breakfast… so there were a few things that came before the suitcase. 

Getting Jane Foster to cook was an impressive feat that underlined just how much she and Darcy loved each other. They were two very different people, with their own personalities and lifestyles, but they managed to get along anyways. 

Even amidst the chaos of the last 12 hours, Darcy felt a rush of gratitude for Jane. Then she tried not to cry into her towel as her wet hair dripped all over the bathroom floor.

During breakfast, Darcy rambled endlessly in sheer panic mode and Jane looked more and more likely to hurl them both out the window in a murder-suicide. “I have to move out, Janey. And get facial reconstruction surgery like that TV show from that animated dog movie!” 

Jane followed behind Darcy as she abandoned her eggs and made for the closet. The scientist looked confused. “You mean Bolt?”

Darcy ripped a suitcase covered sunflowers off the top shelf of the closet, nearly decapitating herself in the process. “Bolting _is_ what I’m doing, Jane. Focus!” Merlin, hearing the chaos, poked his head in the door and then made tracks when he saw the rampage Darcy was on. 

Darcy was just throwing her fifth beanie in a row into the suitcase when Jane put a hand on her arm to stop her. “Darcy, you can’t run away.”

“Of course I can!” Darcy argued, trying to push a zebra print bikini in her luggage before Jane blocked her again. 

“No, you can’t. Your friends are here. Your dream job is here. And the guy you’re falling for is here too.” Jane crossed her arms over her chest and gave Darcy the stern ‘I love you but you’re an idiot’ once over.

“Everyone read that email, Jane. It’s mortifying. And Bucky is never going to want to speak to me again!” Darcy knew she was wailing like a teenager being denied tickets to an MCR concert, but she couldn’t help herself. 

“You’re not a quitter, Darcy. Or a runner. Sargent Barnes has been through a lot worse than you sticking your foot in your mouth. He is not going to hate you.” Darcy finally stopped attempting to pack and sat down heavily on her bed. 

“What if Pepper fires me for sexual harassment?” Darcy asked, horrified at the unthought of possibility. 

“She won’t,” Jane reassured, patting Darcy on the arm. Jane was not a comforting type, but she was trying her best. “We’ll go talk to her right now.” All Darcy could manage in response was a weak smile. “And then we can get ready for the gala together.”

“The gala?” Darcy asked, surprised. Her eyes darted to the dress bag hanging in her now disaster ridden closet. Clumps of sequins, sweaters, and polka dot tights littered the floor. “I can’t go to the gala after all that.”

“After all that you can’t not, Darcy. This is only going to be as big as you let it be. If you go in there tonight and act like it doesn’t bother you, then it won’t. If you laugh it off, so will everyone else.” Jane ordered, pulling Darcy to her feet and steering her towards the front door.

Comforting Jane had officially left the building, and now Tough Love Jane was here to take charge. “Let’s go find Pepper. And who knows? Most people might not read their emails anyways.”

Jane almost bumped into Tony as she was saying it. The billionaire was strolling down the hall with his head buried in a Starkpad. He looked up when Darcy stepped into the hallway. “Lewis! You know, maybe I’m getting old, but I don’t remember it being cool to sext via public email.”

“Eat shit,” was Darcy’s response, before she and Jane went to find Pepper. 

\----------------------------------------

Pepper, of course already knew about the email. She wasn’t mad, as Darcy feared she would be. She even gave Darcy hug and offered her sympathies about the situation. Pepper was as cool and nonplussed as ever, and Darcy loved her for it.

After things were sorted on that end, Darcy convinced Jane she had enough time to bake something before the gala. It was only mid-afternoon, but Jane insisted that getting ready for an event like this was a Process, requiring Time. 

Darcy, in turn, insisted that she needed to stress bake before her head exploded. For the first time in a month, Darcy used her own kitchen to bake. She didn’t want to risk being in the communal kitchen for that long.

Steve and Bruce were both too polite to mention the email, and Peter wasn’t enmeshed enough in tower life to hear about it for a while. But Barton was going to be a little shit about it, as was Tony. Natasha was a wildcard, one Darcy wasn’t eager to draw.

So she baked about ten dozen peanut butter cookies and snuck them in the common room as an apology. ‘Sorry you all got dragged into my weird metal fetish’, or something like that. 

Before Darcy could contemplate adding lemon squares to her peace treaty Jane swooped in and dragged her back to Darcy’s room. “No more baking. We need to get ready.”

“Wow, Jane,” Darcy said, impressed, as she dug into her makeup bag. “I’ve never seen you this eager about a social event before.”

“I’m not eager at all,” Jane frowned. “But the sooner we get there the sooner we can leave. Plus, I need you to do my hair, because bobby pins hate me.” There was the Jane Darcy knew and loved.

Darcy brandished her curling iron, hoping the time-consuming styling process would take her mind off things. “Alright boss lady, but you asked for this.” 

\------------------------------------------

Twenty minutes past the doors opening, Jane and Darcy made it to the ballroom. “Jane, Lady Darcy!” Thor greeted them from his spot outside the foyer. His smile beamed even wider when he took in Jane’s apparel. 

“My love, your beauty could put a thousand suns to shame!” Thor boomed and attempted to sweep Jane into a heroic embrace. 

“Hands off, bub!” Darcy scolded. “You’ll ruin her updo.” Thor just kept on grinning that loveable, dopey grin. 

“You look stunning as well, Lightning Sister. I know many men who would leap to their gory deaths for your affections!” Darcy and Jane traded disbelieving looks. Thor had adapted to Midgardian ways in his years on Earth, but he was still an Asgardian prince, and he never quite let you forget it with lines like that.

“Thanks, big guy, that’s… sweet, I guess,” Darcy ventured. To Jane she said, “you two enjoy yourselves. I’m going to find Bucky. Maybe he hasn’t read the email yet!” Jane didn’t look convinced, but waved Darcy away when Thor snuck in the kiss he’d been aiming for earlier. Darcy’s only solace was that he did, indeed, try to avoid Jane’s updo. 

Inside, Darcy practically darted across the crowded ballroom looking for Bucky. This was no small feat in kitten heels. She had to get to him before anyone else did, to find out if he knew about the email. If by some small miracle, Bucky didn’t know already, Darcy needed to warn him before someone like Tony told him in the least delicate way possible. 

It didn’t take Darcy long to find Bucky. In fact, she almost bowled him over. “Wow, easy doll,” Bucky exclaimed, steadying Darcy as she slammed into his back. “I was beginning to worry my date bailed and I’d have to deal with these goons by myself.”

It was then Bucky took in the full measure of Darcy. The body-hugging red satin dress, and heels that made Darcy’s legs look miles long. Meanwhile, Darcy did her own inspection.

God, did he look good. Really, really fucking good. If Bukcy Barnes was hot in jeans and a t-shirt, he was pure sin in a three-piece suit. The way his hair was slicked back was giving Darcy heart palpitations. 

“No patterns today?” Bucky asked, his eyes trailing languidly down Darcy’s form in a way that made her shiver. Gone was the sweet, old-fashioned gentleman who helped Darcy bake and asked her to explain memes to him. Darcy was standing in front of a wolf in a man’s skin. 

“None that you can see,” Darcy blurted, the dress and Bucky’s dark gaze making her feel bold. Bucky’s eyes sparked like fire, and Darcy’s knees went weak at the intention written there. He didn’t even mention the fact that Darcy confessed her crush on him to the entire tower. Relief rushed over Darcy. He must not have read the email after all. 

“Would you care to dance, Ms. Lewis?” Bucky all but purred. Darcy nodded, mind buzzing with the weight of how to tell him, and Bucky offered an arm for her to slip her own through. 

To Darcy’s surprise, Bucky did not guide her to the dance floor, but to one of the many balconies off-shooting the main ballroom. Outside, the cool air washed over Darcy’s skin, but did little to calm her raging libido. Twinkle lights spiraled up the wrought iron railing, but they paled in comparison to the stars glowing overhead. She and Bucky were alone. 

“You look ravishing, by the way.” Bucky hummed beside her ear. Darcy shivered and pretended it was the breeze.

“You look amazing too,” Darcy told him. “Like, holy shit you look good.” Bucky laughed and the sound warmed them both.

Dread pooled in the pit of her stomach, but Darcy pushed it away. She was going to enjoy one last dance, and maybe even a little flirting, with Bucky before she had to tell him about the email. 

“I might step on your toes,” Darcy warned, as Bucky began to lead her in a simple waltz. 

“I don’t mind, doll,” Bucky replied, spinning her so suddenly that Darcy couldn’t help but laugh. “Just let me lead you, and we’ll both enjoy it.” Darcy nearly stumbled right then and there. There was no way he was just talking about dancing. 

Darcy warned herself not to get her hopes up. Bucky flirted with her all the time, with everyone really. He was pretty much the only person who could make Dr. Cho blush. Bucky was only teasing Darcy. Well, two could play at that game. 

As Bucky dipped her, Darcy grinned up at him in a decidedly impish way. “Are you sure you can handle me, Barnes? I know a few twists and turns myself.”

Suddenly, Darcy found herself righted again, her face hovering an inch from Bucky’s. “Oh, I’m sure. I’m good with my hands, baby girl. And other things.” Again, chills broke out on Darcy’s skin. This was pretty far to take a joke, even for Bucky. 

“Buck, I need to tell you something!” Darcy blurted. She could have kicked herself for ruining this moment, but he needed to know about the email before he did something he’d regret upon finding out Darcy actually liked him as more than a friend.

But before Darcy could say anything, Bucky slid his metal hand up Darcy’s collar to rest just under her chin. She knew Tony had installed sensors in the prosthetic that let Bucky feel at least a quarter of normal sensation and wondered if he could feel her heart hammering in her throat. 

Darcy’s breath stopped altogether as the cool metal of his fingers brushed her lips. “Is this what you imagined this metal arm could do to a girl, sugar?” Bucky whispered. 

Hearing the words from her own email echoed back at her, Darcy flung herself back in horror, only to be halted by the railing behind her. “You read the email!” Darcy accused, wishing the railing would give way and let her plunge to her mortifying death.

“Of course I did. I might not be up on the technology like you are,” Bucky said, as his arms caged Darcy against the railing, “but I know how to check email.” Darcy blushed, at her own idiocy as well as Bucky’s proximity. He knew about Darcy’s crush and her weird metal fetish. It was all over now. 

Bucky was still looking at her in that disconcertingly intense way. It was the same look he got taking assembling his gun or learning a new recipe. Having it focused on her was distracting, to say the least. 

“Tell me what you’re thinking in that pretty head of yours, Darce.” Bucky said. His voice was so low that she felt more than heard the words as they rumbled through her. 

“I’m thinking you must think I’m a loser. That you’re creeped out because your friend decided to go and catch feelings for you and send weird emails about your sexy metal ar--” Before Darcy could finish her rambling, Bucky’s mouth consumed hers in a kiss that knocked the breath from Darcy’s lungs. 

Her hands came up to grasp at Bucky’s shoulders, and his own hands weaved into her hair and pulled. Darcy moaned into his mouth, and Bucky used the opportunity to slip his tongue over hers.

By the time he pulled away, Darcy’s lips were swollen and her knees were so wobbly that Bucky had to put a bracing hand on her hip. When Darcy licked the taste of him from her skin, that hand squeezed so tightly she yelped. 

“Okay, so that just happened,” Darcy muttered, and Bucky broke out of his fit of dark passion long enough to laugh. Underneath the intensity, he was still the guy she’d always known. This was just a new, sexier side of him. As if Bucky needed to get any sexier. 

“Darcy, I don’t think you’re a loser,” Bucky reassured, his other hand coming up to rest tenderly on her cheek. “And your feelings didn’t “creep me out”, as you put it.” Yeah, Bucky kissing her silly made that obvious. 

“I’ll admit that email caught me off guard, and it wasn’t exactly how I imagined this going but--”Darcy frowned as Bucky took a step back, only to take her hands in his. 

“Darcy Lewis, I really like you. Everything about you knocks me out.” Darcy thought her cheeks might split from smiling so hard. “I’ve been working up the courage to ask you for months now, but will you be my girl?” Bucky asked. He looked, of all things, nervous.

It was so cute, that for a moment Darcy was speechless. The old-fashioned phrasing of it all made it even better. ‘His girl’ was so much more romantic than ‘his girlfriend’. 

“Of course I will, Buck. You’re gorgeous, and no one else will watch four straight hours of Cupcake Wars with me, and you make me feel safe and--” and then they were kissing again and Darcy was glad Bucky’s arms were around her because she was afraid she’d float away otherwise. 

They stood like that for several minutes, making out like teenagers. At some point, Bucky reached over and yanked the plug out on the fairy lights, plunging them into some much needed privacy. 

Bucky was just working his lips down Darcy’s neck in a way that was sure to leave hickies while his metal hand slipped its way up beneath her dress, when he abruptly pushed away from Darcy. 

“What’s wrong?” Darcy panted when she saw the regret etched on Bucky’s face. He wasn’t having second thoughts already, was he?

“Doll, I wanted to take things slow,” Bucky lamented. “Take you out to dinner, and movies and things like that. You’re more to me than a one night stand, Darcy. I’m in this for the long haul.” He was so sweet, and so stupid, all at once. 

“Bucky,” Darcy purred, advancing on him to slide her hands up the taut muscles of his stomach. She pressed closely enough that their hips collided and she could feel how badly he wanted her. They both shuddered. “I’m in this for the long haul, too.”

Darcy shimmied against him and Bucky’s hands shot out to wrap around her shoulders as he groaned. “Oh, you little minx,” he growled.

“But,” Darcy continued, tilting Buck’s chin so he was looking at her. “That doesn’t mean you can’t fuck me and then take me out to dinner. I promise I won’t mind.” Whatever vestiges of Bucky’s self control remained snapped, as he all but pushed her through the balcony doors and back to through the ballroom. 

“My room. Now,” Bucky urged, as the two of them snuck away from the party and made for the elevators. “Screw the press.” 

“And when we get to your room?” Darcy enticed, aiming for coy and landing on excited as hell.

“I’m going to show you just _exactly_ what this metal arm can do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're almost at the end! Fair warning the next chapter will be explicit and will contain graphic sex scenes. However, there will be an ending at the end that's SFW and I'll make it so you can read the next chapter and avoid the NSFW stuff if you want!


	6. Everything Comes to an End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Most of this chapter is explicit sex scenes. If you don't want to read that, then you can skip down to the "One Year Later Mark". 
> 
> I tried to make the sex scenes healthy in terms of discussing STDS, using protection, and practicing active consent. Of course, it's not going to be perfect. This is fiction, and is not meant to perfectly represent what healthy, consensual sex looks like. Always thoroughly discuss boundaries and safety with your partners!

Bucky’s apartment was three floors higher than Darcy’s; a fact which had never been a problem until right now. Right now, it was a pain in the ass. “Why can’t we go to my place?” Darcy whined, as she and Bucky practically dived into the elevator. “It’s closer.”

Bucky’s place might only be an extra minute away, but that was one minute too long for Darcy. She wanted to get things going before the awkwardness and insecurity that accompanied any sexual encounter set in.

“I want to take you for the first time in my bed,” Bucky rumbled as the doors slid closed and the elevator lurched into motion. “It’s a male pride thing, doll. But after that, I promise I’ll take you in every room in the tower if you want.” Darcy rolled her eyes and tried not to show how hot the promise made her.

“You are such a--” Darcy never figured out what she was going to say, because then they were kissing again. Darcy pulled away from the frantic lip lock long enough to shout “Jarvis! Enact privacy protocols in this elevator.”

“Ms. Lewis, I’m afraid that Ms. Potts has forbidden privacy protocols in all the elevators and non-resident floors during the eve--” Jarvis’s pleasantly British tone rang through invisible speakers.

“Override code: Thor-just-got-back-from-Asgard-and-he-and-Jane-are-at-it-in-the hallways-again,” was Darcy’s retort. There was a pause, and then a long chirp to indicate that privacy protocols had been enacted in the elevator.

Darcy celebrated by pressing her body against Bucky’s, where she could feel the interest stirring in his suit pants. Bucky must have liked the feeling of Darcy so close, because he did something with his tongue just below her ear that had Darcy crooning.

Much to Darcy’s relief, and disappointment, the elevator doors finally slid open. Before she could take two steps, Bucky swept her up into his arms. Not like a bride, but over his shoulder like a man on a mission. Darcy shrieked in laughing protest and Bucky slapped her ass in response. Oh, that was something to be explored at a later time.

They didn’t have far to go. Bucky’s suite was only a few paces from the elevator. He scanned his eye with the retinal scanner before slipping inside, where he proceeded to carry Darcy across the room and throw her on the bed. It was so utterly cliche, but hot at the same time. Bucky could wear a paper bag to bed and still turn Darcy on.

  
“Are you clean?” Darcy asked, putting a hand up to halt the action before they’d talked out the logistics.

“Yeah, they did a complete health analysis when they brought me in, and I haven’t been with anyone since.” Bucky stated, digging through the bedside drawer and producing a condom. He threw it on the bedside table for later use.

“Me too,” Darcy replied. “Is there anything else I should know about? Things you don’t want me to say or do?” It was something she asked all her partners, but something that felt especially necessary with Bucky.

“Unless you were planning to call me ‘the asset’ in bed, or poke at me with medical instruments, no,” Bucky told her. Darcy pulled off her glasses and tossed them on the bedside table while Bucky asked her the same question in return.

With all the questions out of the way, Darcy climbed out of the bed so she could take off her dress. Bucky stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. “Let me, sweetheart.”

Darcy shivered as his hands glided down her back, pulling down the zipper and exposing her bare skin. The dress was too tight for a bra or underwear. Both would show lines. Darcy was bare underneath the silk.

Bucky took the dress and hung it carefully over a chair. He was aware without needing to be told that it was worth a pretty penny. There would be no clothes ripping here. At least not tonight.

For a moment, Bucky just stared at Darcy as she was bathed in the soft glow of the bedside lamp, wearing nothing but stilettos. He was in the process of taking off his suit jacket but stalled in favor of gazing at her. Darcy blushed from her cheeks all the way down to her thighs.

“God, you’re gorgeous,” Bucky breathed, finally yanking off his shirt and suit pants. When he was bare before her, Darcy couldn’t help but whistle. Bucky was over six foot and broad shouldered. It figured the rest of his proportions matched up.

“Right back at you,” Darcy purred and pounced. Bucky caught her and they rolled across the sheets together until she was straddling him. Bucky was still half hard beneath her, but that changed quickly as Darcy ground her hips against his.

His cock slid between her thighs, creating a deliciously torturous friction that teased them both. Bucky reached up to cup her breasts in his hands and seemed to marvel at the weight of them.

“Your tits, baby girl…” Bucky’s voice was husky with need. “I’ve been wanting to get my hands on them for ages.” Then he pulled Darcy down so he could suck a breast into his mouth. His fingers pinched her other nipple, rolling it between callused fingers. Darcy moaned her appreciation, her hips stuttering to a standstill at the impossible angle she was contorted into.

As if reading her thoughts, Bucky rolled her onto her back. He fumbled in the bed for something before pulling out his tie. “Can I tie you up, Darcy?” Darcy nodded so hard she almost gave herself whiplash. She was checking every kink box tonight.

Bucky stretched her arms over her head, holding her wrists together. He then wrapped the tie around her wrists, binding them. Bucky checked the fit to make sure they weren’t cutting off any blood flow. “You better keep those there, doll, unless it gets to be too much. If you want me to untie you, or to stop, just tell me.”

When Darcy nodded her assent, Bucky went back to wrecking havoc on her breasts. He alternated between sucking and nibbling, veering his way up and down her chest. He seemed to like her neck in particular, after discovering he could suck hickeys into her milky skin.

Darcy would be wearing turtlenecks for a few days after this.

“Bucky, please,” Darcy moaned, wiggling her hips so he would get the picture. The foreplay was amazing, but she wanted him inside of her, pronto. Bucky grinned down at her, not a smirk, just a smile of pure happiness.

“Well, since you asked so nicely.” Bucky held up his metal hand so Darcy could see. The prosthetic shone in the soft light. Then he slowly slid one finger along her slit, before working it in. It was cool and slick inside her, even better than Darcy’s wildest fantasy. Thor, she had a thing for this arm.

After a moment, Bucky added another finger, cursing at her slickness. “You’re so wet for me, doll.” Darcy groaned at the delicious stretch. “Is the arm everything you’d hoped for, hmm? Does it do all the things you’d imagined.” Darcy nodded eagerly and Bucky smirked.

“Well, sweetheart, it does even more than that.” And then his fingers started to vibrate. Actually. Fucking. Vibrate. Darcy had died and gone to Valhalla. Bucky didn’t even have to ask if she liked it. Her shrieks were answer enough.

With how wet she now was, Darcy thought Bucky would stop there and start fucking her. Instead, he began to piston his fingers as they buzzed inside her. Darcy cried out and nearly dropped her arms from above her head. Bucky slapped the inside of her thigh in retaliation and Darcy jerked around his fingers.

Just when Darcy thought she couldn’t be any more turned on, Bucky ducked his head and stuck his tongue inside of her. Darcy let out something akin to a shriek. His talented tongue began to trace patterns on her clit as his fingers curled sinfully inside her. After a few seconds, the pressure began to build inside Darcy, signaling an oncoming orgasm.

“Holy shit. Buck, I’m gonna come,” Darcy squeaked around the electric buzz of the makeshift vibrator. Bucky leered up at her from between her thighs.

“Not without permission you aren’t.” That one, simple sentence sent a shudder of pleasure racing through Darcy. “How do you ask, baby girl?”

“Please, Bucky!” Darcy begged. “Your fingers feel so---ah--- good inside me. Your tongue is--- oh--- magic. Please let me cum!”

“Good girl,” Bucky praised. “Show me how pretty you cum.” Darcy did, with a shout, and felt the warmth spread throughout her body in wave after wave of satisfaction. Bucky kept on finger fucking her as she rode it out, only pulling away when the overstimulation began to become painful.

Darcy took a minute to catch her breath and Bucky slid on the condom and positioned himself at her entrance. He smiled down at her, stroking damp hair out of her face. So much for Darcy’s gala-worthy curls. “Do you feel okay, Darce? Do you want to keep going?”

“I want you to fuck me until all I remember is your name,” Darcy challenged. Bucky’s eyes went pitch dark and he smiled hungrily.

“Then get ready to scream it.” And then his cock was sliding inside her and all Darcy could do was moan. Once he was settled inside her, Darcy took a moment to get used to the stretch.

Then Bucky was ramming into her at punishing speeds. Neither of them had the patience left for slow and sweet. Bucky reached up with one hand and pulled Darcy’s bound hands around his neck, forcing her knees up so he could sink as deeply into her as possible.

Darcy mewled like a cat in heat and dug her nails into his shoulders. Their lips met in a passionate blaze. “God, Darcy. You’re so tight around me. So wet, and sweet and all fucking mine.”

“Bucky,” Darcy whined. “Deeper. You feel so fucking good inside me.” Their hips were moving together in perfect sync now, a carnal parody of their dance out on the balcony. But the waltz was the farthest thing from Darcy’s mind at that moment.

She could feel herself barrelling towards a second orgasm and unstoppable speeds. Bucky didn’t seem to be far off. “Bucky!” Was Darcy’s warning. He was staring into her eyes in a way that made Darcy’s toes curl. She’d kicked off the shoes a few minutes ago, though Bucky certainly seemed to like the look of her with just them on.

“Cum for me kitten. Yell my name and let everyone know who made you feel this good,” Bucky growled. Darcy went soaring over the edge, screaming his name as she did. A few seconds later, Bucky followed.

For a moment, they just lay together, panting and riding out the last of the aftershocks. Bucky was the first to move, untying Darcy’s wrists and rubbing them gently. He wouldn’t let up until she assured him there was no numbness or tingling. He then brought her a glass of water and held her in his arms as she drank it.

“That was amazing, Darce,” Bucky mumbled into her neck. They'd been entangled together for ten minutes, just enjoying the afterglow.

“Right back at you, Sarge,” Darcy mumbled into his chest. “When can we do that again?”

“Again? Did you think I was done with you for the night?” Bucky purred. Darcy gazed up at him hopefully.

“But, but…” Darcy began. Bucky smirked.

“I’m a super soldier, doll. I recover faster than most men. And I have a lot of stamina.”

As it turned out, he did.

\----------------------------------------------------------  
**ONE YEAR LATER**  
\----------------------------------------------------------

Darcy still maintains it’s not her fault. That she never knew all those years ago that a single internship would change the course of her life.

How could she know that pushing Jane to take the job with Tony would allow her to meet the Winter Soldier? That not stopping to clean up a mess in the lab allowed her to leave at the exact right moment to bump into one Bucky Barnes.

Darcy certainly didn’t mean to send that email. She’s still getting flack from Clint and Tony almost a year later about it.

But Darcy can’t say she’s unhappy with the results. In fact, she’s so deliriously happy that even Jane and Thor look cold by comparison. She loves Bucky Barnes and he loves her. Whether they’re going out dancing, or watching chopped, or having mind blowing sex on every available surface in the tower.

Darcy did not plan on any of this happening, especially not the part where she revealed her crush on James “Call me Bucky” Barnes to the entire tower. But sometimes, your best laid plans are only there to crash and burn so destiny can set up something better.

And when Bucky gets down on one knee that night and asks her to be “his girl” for the rest of their lives, Darcy has never been more grateful for anything than she is for the ‘reply all’ button.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe it's over. Thank you so much for coming on this ride with me. Your comments and kudos and support always make me incredibly happy. I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have.


End file.
